The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — October 2011
Highlights this month
- 14FriThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (4:01am)
- 14FriSaturn in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:16am)
- 21FriOrionids meteor shower peaks (up to 20/hr). A 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 29SatJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Aries (mag −2.8). (12:22pm)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 | 5:56am | 6:24pm | 12h 27m | 7:53pm | 4:27am |
| Mon 10 | 6:43am | 7:32pm | 12h 49m | 9:04pm | 5:11am |
| Thu 20 | 6:28am | 7:42pm | 13h 14m | 9:16pm | 4:54am |
| Mon 31 | 6:14am | 7:53pm | 13h 39m | 9:32pm | 4:36am |
Days lengthen by about 72 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterTue 4, 2:13pm
- Full MoonWed 12, 1:06pm
- Last QuarterThu 20, 2:36pm
- New MoonThu 27, 7:02am
Apogee 12 Oct (406,300 km) · Perigee 27 Oct (356,900 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Vir | −0.7 | 7:04am | 1:48pm | 8:33pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Vir | −3.7 | 7:21am | 2:07pm | 8:55pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Cnc | 1.2 | 3:55am | 9:00am | 2:05pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Ari | −2.7 | 8:44pm | 2:10am | 7:32am | Morning |
| Saturn | Vir | 0.6 | 6:45am | 1:05pm | 7:26pm | Hidden |
| Uranus | Psc | 5.8 | 5:51pm | 11:53pm | 5:59am | All night |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 3:06pm | 9:48pm | 4:34am | Evening |
Meteor showers
- Orionids — peaks 21 October, radiant in Orion (up to 20/hr). Also from Halley's Comet; Orion rides high after midnight from the south, giving a fair show. A 38% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — October 2011
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
Open the full interactive orrery ↗ — fast-forward, pick any date, toggle the Moon and more.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 July 2026.